Apple Buys Another Mapping Company, Embark

Apple acquired the mass-transit app company Embark, the latest move in the company’s long-running effort bulk up its mapping service.

An Apple spokeswoman confirmed the acquisition. “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans,” she said. Embark couldn’t be reached for comment. The news was earlier reported on jessicalessin.com.

Apple didn’t disclose the price or the timing of the deal. A look at Embark’s Twitter account shows the company hasn’t tweeted since July 1.

News of the deal came a little more than a month after Apple said it bought two other mapping companies: Locationary and HopStop. Locationary helps manage points of interest in mapping databases, while HopStop gives customers access to local transit information.

Embark, a small Silicon Valley company that was founded in 2011, makes free mobile apps for Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android that provide mass transit information for a handful of U.S. cities like New York and Boston. It most recently launched its San Francisco app in May. Embark has earlier won challenges from New York’s MTA to design apps for subway riders. The company counts Y Combinator, SV Angel and BMW as investors, among others. The last news posted on Embark’s website was CEO David Hodge announcing the investment from BMW.

The string of acquisitions follow Apple’s disastrous introduction of its own Maps app, replacing Google on in iOS. At the time, Apple choose not to include built-in mass transit information, but instead connect with other apps that would provide the information. In November,